1 dead after fall into Lower Providence water tower

LOWER PROVIDENCE — Emergency crews successfully rescued a man who had been hanging approximately 60 feet in the air from a safety harness and trapped inside of an 80-foot-high water tank after an “industrial equipment malfunction” left another man dead on Wednesday afternoon.

Three workers from Corrosion Control Corp., of Pedricktown, N.J., had been performing maintenance on the tower when an apparent equipment malfunction occurred at approximately 11 a.m., causing one man to plummet approximately 40-60 feet to his death at the bottom of the empty tank and left the second worker hanging from a safety harness, according to Lower Providence Police Chief Francis Carroll. At the time of the incident, the third worker was at the bottom of the tank and was not injured.

“There were two people working at an elevated level. I’m not sure of the exact description of the apparatus (the workers) were using,” explained Carroll. “That will be part of the investigation conducted by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).”

After working for approximately three hours, crews were finally able to free the trapped worker by going into the top of the tower and rappelling down to the worker’s location. Once the rescuer got to the suspended worker, the rescuer attached a second safety harness to the worker and the pair was then lowered to the bottom of the tank. The trapped worker was removed from the tank through an “access way” that is approximately as large as a manhole at the tower’s base.

Following the successful rescue, the victim, who was conscious and talking to crews throughout the process, was transported by Lower Providence Emergency Medical Services to Paoli Hospital for treatment of unknown injuries relating to the accident. His name was not released.

As the operation unfolded throughout the day, the victim remained alert and spoke with rescuers at regular intervals. Because of this, crews were able to work at a more deliberate pace to ensure the safety of both rescue workers and the victim, according to Lower Providence Fire Chief Bryan McFarland.

“He was talking to us from the onset. That is why this was not a rushed operation,” he said. “We took our time and put as much safety into (the rescue) as we could.”

Because the rescue was both a “technical specialty” and “manpower intensive,” multiple fire companies had to be called in to assist in the rescue. Along with the Lower Providence Fire Department, crews from the Norristown Fire Department, King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company, and Skippack Fire Company assisted at the rescue.

“At the time, the victim was suspended in his work harness, which required us to enter the tank and extricate him,” McFarland explained. “As you can imagine, that required some technical assistance, which was requested immediately.”

The tower is owned by Audubon Water Co., which had contracted out the maintenance work. Wednesday was the workers’ second day working in the tower.

“(The work was) corrosion control, so they go in and they treat and paint the inside of the tank,” explained Carroll.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by both the police department and OSHA.